Our communities suffer when our men and women behind the badge are not equipped with the necessary tools they need to establish safe neighborhoods. Unfortunately, that is what is always on the table in Sacramento. Controversial headlines hit the newsstands and politicians tout new laws to further restrict the ability of our police to effectively do their job.

Their job is to protect all of us from violent criminals. When a community feels safe, that is when it thrives. Under threat and pressure, a community will shudder, businesses will leave, our education system will be stifled, and everyone’s sense of security is lost.

We’ve already seen the effects of Propositions 47 and 57 on our communities. The unintended consequences of these measures have increased crime across California. Law enforcement officers are working overtime, putting the same criminals behind bars they did five years ago. These criminals aren’t just your average property crime criminals; these are sexual predators, human traffickers, and re-classified felons that are no longer deemed “violent” under State law.

Not to mention, our officers feel less protected and discouraged from fulfilling their duty. In California, we do a pretty good job of ensuring a shortage of officers to patrol our streets. We tell them to go through rigorous training, give them a badge with little pay, and send them out into our communities to track down criminals, but place onerous limitations from actually being able to do so. It doesn’t end there.

Enter Assembly Bill 931. This irresponsible legislation is a direct assault from Sacramento on our law enforcement. It restricts law enforcement from being able to use force to protect themselves from a dangerous criminal. Instead, Sacramento wants to require officers to go through a checklist or wait for back up to arrive before deciding how to proceed in a life or death situation.

At any given time, they have less than a second to make a decision on how to resolve a dangerous situation and still make it home to see their family that night. We can’t afford to put our police in a position where they have to second-guess themselves.

Our law enforcement will feel powerless and criminals are going to be in control. Our residents deserve better than this. They deserve to have an empowered police force that works hard to protect every single person in our community. We are failing them right now. Together, we must stand up against these dangerous policies and work to protect Californians.

Assemblyman Marc Steinorth, R-Rancho Cucamonga, represents the 40th District. He is a candidate for the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors.